Lucus Libitinae

Lucus Libitinae was a grove at the southern end of Rome, on the Esquiline hill, possibly near the porta Esquilina and the early necropolis. It was sacred to Libitina, the funerary goddess, whose temple stood within its wooded sanctuary. Her temple served as the headquarters of the Roman undertakers, or Libitinarii. Here funerals rites were arranged, paid for and preformed. The temple also housed the Roman mortuary registers, as it was the logical location for collecting death statistics.